Eastbound

By: Maylis De Kerangal, Jessica Moore - translator

Narrated by: Jennifer Pickens

In this gripping tale, a Russian conscript and a French woman cross paths on the Trans-Siberian railroad, each fleeing to the east for their own reasons.

Eastbound is both an adventure story and a duet of two vibrant inner worlds.

In mysterious, winding sentences gorgeously translated by Jessica Moore, De Kerangal gives us the story of two unlikely souls entwined in a quest for freedom with a striking sense of tenderness, sharply contrasting the brutality of the surrounding world.

Racing toward Vladivostok, we meet the young Aliocha, packed onto a Trans-Siberian train with other Russian conscripts. Soon after boarding, he decides to desert and over a midnight smoke in a dark corridor of the train, he encounters an older French woman, Helene, for whom he feels an uncanny trust.

A complicity quickly grows between the two when he manages to urgently ask—through a pantomime and basic Russian that Helene must decipher—for her help to hide him. They hurry from the filth of his third-class carriage to Helene's first-class sleeping car. Aliocha now a hunted deserter and Helene his accomplice with her own inner landscape of recent memories to contend with.

©2023 Maylis de Kerangal; English Translation Copyright 2023 by Jessica Moore (P)2023 Tantor

I’ve never read anything like it.

Reading this book was a unique experience. I read it, and then read it again. It’s not an epic tale with twists and turns that I usually read. It’s rich in language and beautiful descriptions. Surreal. The author is a master story teller. I loved how the characters connected with each other. Perfect narration. Great read!

Beautifully written

This was a good story. The writing is vivid and eloquent, and the plot is compelling. It lacks a certain spark that would make me highly recommend it, but at the same time, I’m glad I read it.

Good story, outstanding narration

A short, evocative novella. A young conscript gets help from a mysterious Frenchwoman. Outstanding narration.

Strangers on a Train

I was absorbed by this unlikely story of a fleeing Russian conscript and a sophisticated Frenchwoman, together on a train heading east across Siberia. The characters seemed real, unlikely though the plot may have been. I wanted the conscript to escape, and I wanted the woman to be clever enough to help. The novel was great on detail; even the minor characters had well-drawn personalities. This was a fine quick listen, narrated well.

Highly compelling novella

Excellent narration and beautiful story about two people escaping from their situations. Details about their feelings and interaction is so well described and the story is a nail biter.